1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera and a control method thereof in which a still image or a motion picture of a picked-up object is converted into digital image data and recorded on a portable recording medium attached to a main body.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, a conventional digital camera as described above is constructed such that a memory card including, for example, a semiconductor memory and the like is attached to a memory card slot part provided in the main body of the camera to record digital image data.
Meanwhile, in recent years, for example, developments have been made in the technique of recording/reproducing digital data on/from a small disk having a diameter of about 1 inch, which has a portability substantially equivalent to a memory card, by means of magnetism, light, magneto-optics, or the like.
Therefore, in a digital camera, a disk drive part for driving a small disk is mounted on its main body, so that digital image data can be recorded on a small disk.
However, the digital camera as described above is still being developed. It has been strongly required that improvements should be made in various areas so as to comply sufficiently with the needs of users.
Two types of digital cameras are known. The first type uses a memory card as portable recording medium. The second type uses a small disk as portable recording medium.
Data cannot be transferred from the camera of the first type, directly to the camera of the second type. Nor can data be transferred to the camera of the second type, directly to the camera of the first type.
Therefore, in the case of performing a simple edit operation or the like for transferring digital image data between a memory card and a small disk, it is necessary to use an optional editing system using a PC (Personal Computer).
That is, by using this editing system, it is possible to carry out the operation of reading the necessary data from one recording medium, storing it, and writing the stored data into another recording medium.
However, if even simple editing cannot be carried out unless an optional editing system is used, it will be inconvenient for a user. A problem hence arises in that the camera is not suitable for practical use.
Note that known techniques concerning an electronic camera for recording image data obtained by picking up an image onto a recording medium are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 5-91452 and Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 10-233989.
However, the former reference discloses a technique in which image data obtained by picking up an image is stored into either an internal memory or an external memory in accordance with a selection made by a memory selection switch.
Meanwhile, the latter reference discloses a technique in which still image data and moving picture data are respectively stored in dedicated memories. Thus, neither of the references includes a description concerning countermeasures against problems as described above.